Baltimore County exec among those wanting to see results of school system audit

Baltimore County exec among those wanting to see results of school system audit

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Updated: 5:49 PM EDT Mar 13, 2019

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RESULTS. >> WE THINK WE SHOULD SEE IT. WE THINK THE PUBLIC SHOULD SEE IT. TIM: AND TO SEE IT NOW, EVEN A DRAFT REPORT OF THE AUDIT, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN SHARED WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. FOR SOME, IT’S A PUBLIC DOCUMEN THAT REMAINS UNDERCOVER. >> WE REQUESTED IT OVER A MONTH AGO. WE RECENTLY REPEATED OUR REQUEST DIRECTLY TO THE SCHOOL BOARD LEADERSHIP. TIM: BOARD CHAIR KATHLEEN CAUSEY HAS COME OUT WITH A WRITTEN OPINION FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD ATTORNEY HE WROTE, "AS A MATTER OF MARYLAND LAW, AS WELL AS BES PRACTICES FROM A PROFESSIONAL AUDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE, THE DRAFT AUDIT REPORT SHOULD NOT BE RELEASED OR DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC BUT THE LETTER HAS APPARENTLY NOT CHANGED THE MIND OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, WHO CONTINUES TO CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY. >> I’M DISAPPOINTED THAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE REPORT, THE PUBLIC HASN’T SEEN IT. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT OUR KIDS, AND WE’RE TALKING ABOUT TAXPAYER DOLLARS. TIM: DOLLARS HE SAYS ARE HARD TO COME BY, IN LIGHT OF AN $81 MILLION BUDGET DEFICIT IT’S A SHORTFALL WHICH COUL AFFECT THE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM. INTERIM SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT VERLETTA WHITE, WHO FIRST CALL FOR AN AUDIT BACK IN THE FALL OF 2017, BELIEVES THE AUDIT OUG TO BE RELEASED NOW IN ITS CURRENT FORM LATE THIS AFTERNOON, THE SCHOOL CHAIR ISSUED A STATEMENT, SAYING IN PART THAT THE FINAL, SIGNED EXTERNAL AUDIT REPORT WOULD BE RELEASED AS SOON AS IT’S AVAILABLE, IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS. LIVE IN THE 11 NEWSROOM, TIM TOOTEN, WBAL-TV 11 N

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Baltimore County exec among those wanting to see results of school system audit

A draft of the $400,000 audit of the Baltimore County Public School system is complete, but few know what it shows and that includes County Executive Johnny Olszewski, who shared his frustration. The audit was expected to give the public a snapshot of school system books, contracts and financial disclosure forms. The county executive is among those leading the charge to see the results."We think we should see it. We think the public should see it," said Olszewski. And he wants everyone to see it now -- even a draft report of the audit that has already been shared with some members of the board of education. For some, it's a public document that remains undercover. "We requested it over a month ago. We recently repeated our request directly to the school board leadership," Olszewski said. Board Chair Kathleen Causey has come out with a written opinion from the school board attorney, who wrote, "As a matter of Maryland law, as well as best practices from a professional auditors perspective, the draft audit report should not be released or disclosed to the public." But the letter has apparently not changed the mind of the county executive, who continues to call for transparency."I'm disappointed that we haven't seen the report, the public hasn't seen it. We're talking about our kids and we're talking about tax payer dollars," Olszewski said. Those dollars, he says, are hard to come by in light of an $81 million budget deficit. It's a shortfall that could affect the county school system. Interim School Superintendent Verletta White, who first called for an audit back in the fall of 2017, believes the audit ought to be released now in its current form.On Wednesday afternoon, the school board chair issued a statement saying in part, "the final signed external audit report would be released as soon as its available in the upcoming weeks."

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"We think we should see it. We think the public should see it," said Olszewski.

And he wants everyone to see it now -- even a draft report of the audit that has already been shared with some members of the board of education. For some, it's a public document that remains undercover.

"We requested it over a month ago. We recently repeated our request directly to the school board leadership," Olszewski said.

Board Chair Kathleen Causey has come out with a written opinion from the school board attorney, who wrote, "As a matter of Maryland law, as well as best practices from a professional auditors perspective, the draft audit report should not be released or disclosed to the public."

But the letter has apparently not changed the mind of the county executive, who continues to call for transparency.

"I'm disappointed that we haven't seen the report, the public hasn't seen it. We're talking about our kids and we're talking about tax payer dollars," Olszewski said.

On Wednesday afternoon, the school board chair issued a statement saying in part, "the final signed external audit report would be released as soon as its available in the upcoming weeks."

What are the results of a $400 Thousand dollar Baltimore County school system audit? The County Executive says he’s among those eager to find out. His comments tonight on WBALTV ⁦ pic.twitter.com/RweJEGdkRK